Ejercicios de Verbos Modales

Dominar los verbos modales en inglés requiere práctica sistemática. En esta guía de ejercicios, trabajaremos desde los usos más básicos hasta las construcciones avanzadas con Modales Perfectos.

Si primero quieres repasar los conceptos teóricos, la guía Verbos Modales en Inglés tiene todos los usos explicados con ejemplos.

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Bloque 1 — Ejercicios de Nivel A2/B1: Habilidad y Permiso

Los modales can, could y may expresan habilidad, posibilidad y permiso.

Ejercicio 1: Completa con can, can't, could o couldn't

1. When I was a child, I _______ swim, but now I _______ swim very well.
2. _______ you help me with this report, please?
3. She _______ come to the meeting yesterday; she was ill.
4. _______ I use your pen for a moment?
5. He _______ speak three languages by the time he was ten.

Soluciones:

1. couldn't / can
2. Could
3. couldn't
4. Can / May
5. could

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Bloque 2 — Ejercicios de Nivel B1/B2: Obligación y Consejo

Ejercicio 2: Must, Have to, Should, Ought to

Elige el modal más adecuado según el contexto:

1. You _______ wear a seatbelt in a car. (obligación legal)
2. You _______ see a doctor. You don't look well. (consejo)
3. I _______ finish this project by Monday. (obligación personal)
4. He _______ be more careful with his emails. (consejo formal)
5. We _______ not eat in the laboratory. (prohibición)

Soluciones:

1. must / have to
2. should / ought to
3. must / have to
4. should / ought to
5. must

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Bloque 3 — Ejercicios de Nivel B2: Posibilidad y Deducción

Los modales might, may, must, can't expresan diferentes grados de certeza.

Ejercicio 3: Deducciones en presente

Observa la situación y forma una deducción lógica:

1. The lights are off and there's no car in the drive. → They _______ be at home. (imposible)
2. She's been working for 12 hours straight. → She _______ be exhausted. (casi seguro)
3. I'm not sure, but he _______ call later. (posibilidad)
4. He knows every line of the film. → He _______ have seen it many times. (deducción)
5. That _______ be Maria at the door — she said she'd come. (posibilidad)

Soluciones:

1. can't
2. must
3. might / may
4. must
5. might / may / could

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Bloque 4 — Ejercicios de Nivel C1: Modales Perfectos

Los Modales Perfectos (modal + have + participio) son fundamentales en niveles avanzados.

Ejercicio 4: Transforma las frases usando el Modal Perfecto correcto

Modelo: It's a pity he didn't study harder. → He should have studied harder.

1. I'm sure she didn't hear the alarm. → She _______ the alarm.
2. It was a mistake for him to invest in that company. → He _______ in that company.
3. Perhaps they left early. → They _______ early.
4. I'm certain he lied to us. → He _______ to us.
5. It was possible for her to finish on time, but she didn't. → She _______ on time.

Soluciones:

1. can't have heard
2. shouldn't have invested
3. might / may / could have left
4. must have lied
5. could have finished

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Bloque 5 — Ejercicios de Estilo Formal: Modales para Cambridge

En exámenes Cambridge, los modales también aparecen en transformaciones de frase (Part 4 de Use of English).

Ejercicio 5: Key Word Transformation

Reescribe cada frase usando la palabra clave dada sin cambiar el significado.

1. It's possible that he forgot the meeting. (MIGHT) → He _______ the meeting.

2. I'm sure she didn't take your umbrella. (HAVE) → She can't _______ your umbrella.

3. It wasn't necessary for you to bring food. (NEED) → You _______ food.

4. I'm certain he has been working all night. (MUST) → He _______ all night.

5. It was a mistake for her to resign. (SHOULD) → She _______ her job.

Soluciones:

1. might have forgotten
2. have taken
3. needn't have brought / didn't need to bring
4. must have been working
5. shouldn't have resigned

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Errores Más Comunes con Verbos Modales

Como profesor de Cambridge, estos son los errores que veo con más frecuencia:

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Consejos para el Examen Cambridge

• Must vs Have to: En negative, tienen significados opuestos. Must not = prohibición; Don't have to = no es necesario.
• Could have / Should have / Might have: Siempre van seguidos del participio pasado del verbo principal.
• May vs Might: Might implica menor probabilidad que may en contextos formales.

Con práctica constante con estos ejercicios de verbos modales en inglés, estarás listo para cualquier examen o situación profesional que requiera expresar matices con precisión.

Fuentes

• Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
• British Council LearnEnglish: https://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish
• CEFR/MCER (Council of Europe): https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages